President Trump's director of social media and deputy chief of staff for communications Dan Scavino tweeted Friday that "Twitter is full of s--t" after the platform determined that one of the president's tweets in response to civil unrest in Minneapolis violated the company's rules.
Why it matters: Scavino is the "caretaker of Trump's explosive Twitter feed," as Politico reported last year, and the president relies on him for advice on how some of the administration's most controversial moves will be received on social media.
- Trump's late-night tweet threatened shooting in response to the Minneapolis protests and was subsequently limited in its reach by the platform.
- Twitter found that it "violated the Twitter Rules about glorifying violence," the company said in text that now accompanies it. "However, Twitter has determined that it may be in the public's interest for the Tweet to remain accessible."
- The decision to label Trump's tweet was made by teams within Twitter and CEO Jack Dorsey was informed of the plan before the tweet was labeled, Twitter told Axios' Ina Fried.
What he said:
"Twitter is targeting the President of the United States 24/7, while turning their heads to protest organizers who are planning, plotting, and communicating their next moves daily on this very platform. Twitter is full of s--t - more and more people are beginning to get it."
Dan Scavino
The big picture: The battle is part of a larger war between the Trump administration and Twitter, which kicked off when the company issued its first fact-check against the president earlier this week.
- Trump then signed an executive order Thursday with an aim of trying to limit legal protections afforded to social media sites, though the move was slammed by tech, business and civil rights groups.
